Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow…
2023
Directions : Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow by selecting the correct/most appropriate option.
“Let’s go! We are going to be late!” shouted Glen gleefully as he tightened his schoolbag on his back. Three other faces broke into a smile upon hearing his words. They could not wait to soak their feet in the water and perhaps catch a small fish or two, just for kicks. They were clearly not heading towards where they should be — school. The cold imposing white building became smaller and smaller. Their little hearts grew braver by the minute. They knew exactly where to go.
The canal was huge but that morning, there was only a small lazy stream of dirty water in it. With great gusto, Glen, the leader of the pack, hoisted himself over the railings and climbed down the huge monsoon drain. In the process, he got himself very dirty, but the excitement of truancy was too great to be bothered by some loose buttons and tears in his shirt.
In a fraction of seconds, the other boys joined him. Soon, screams and laughter of delight reverberated into the air but no one else could hear them for they had chosen a canal that was far from anyone. Glen spied many tiny fish darting to and fro in the murky water. They had no economical value and were practically worthless but nevertheless, the thrill of catching them bare-handed was priceless. Glen raced after an extra fat one. He plunged his hands to grab it only to have it slip between the cracks of his fingers.
How many boys had missed school to go fishing to the canal that day ?
- A.
Four
- B.
Five
- C.
Three
- D.
Two
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept: A literal-comprehension question asks only for facts the passage states directly — the total is found by tracking every character the text actually places in the scene, not by inferring beyond what is written.
Application: The passage opens with Glen speaking the line that starts the escapade, and the very next sentence reports that three other faces broke into a smile at his words — establishing Glen plus three companions as the group. The narrative then confirms this as one group acting together (“the other boys joined him”, the shared “screams and laughter”), with no further character introduced afterward.
Cross-check: Every option is a count of the same group described in the opening scene, so each can be tested against exactly who the passage places at the canal that morning:
Five overcounts: the passage never introduces a companion beyond Glen and the three others named in the opening scene.
Three undercounts by one: it leaves out Glen himself, who proposes the escapade and leads the group to the canal, and is very much one of the boys who skip school.
Two undercounts further still, well below the four the passage actually places at the canal.
Result: Counting every boy the passage actually places in the scene gives four.